La légende de Manolo

Many things could have gone wrong with The Book Of Life. This boisterous, big-hearted animated film is bursting with ideas and colour, stuffed to the brim with - one suspects - pretty much every idea that struck writer-director Jorge Gutierrez's fancy. Indeed, the final film plays very much like the charming but unpolished debut of a filmmaker who can't quite believe he was lucky enough to get the attention of producer Guillermo del Toro, and has no intention of wasting the opportunity in case it never comes around again. As a result, The Book Of Life practically trembles with too many ideas and influences, but remains so earnest and inventive that it's easy to forgive its predictable, overstuffed plot.

In a small Mexican town on the Day Of The Dead, we meet the protagonists of the story: steadfast, earnest Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna), who would rather strum a guitar than fight a bull in the tradition of his forefathers; brash, adventurous Joaquin (Channing Tatum), who becomes the town hero in trying to avenge the murder of his father by bandits; and spunky, intelligent Maria (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the mayor who inevitably wins the hearts of both young men. The stakes, however, are higher than they could ever imagine: the two godly rulers of the underworld, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), have gambled dominion over each other's lands on the outcome of the love triangle.

It would be an understatement to say that there's a lot going on in The Book Of Life. The film covers everything from a mystical medal that lends invulnerability to anyone who wears it, to a tantalising love-hate relationship between the two gods, while spiced up with musical interludes galore. (It's not often that the film's hero will pause to belt out a soul-searching rendition of Radiohead's Creep, but that kind of thing happens all the time in The Book Of Life.) Mix it all up with retellings of Mexican folklore, including visits to the joyously colourful Land of the Remembered and the ghostly grey Land of the Forgotten, and the film can be a somewhat frenetic viewing experience, to say the least.

But, for all that Gutierrez packs his film full of ideas and details, he also manages to make most of it work very well. The love triangle may be trite, but there's nevertheless enough heart and humour holding Manolo, Maria and Joaquin together. Manolo's relationships with his dad Carlos (Hector Elizondo) and his departed mom Carmen (Ana de la Reguera) are coloured in with surprising depth as well. It's also wonderful to see a love triangle centred around a girl who knows her own mind - and rest assured that Maria speaks it often enough to make a real impact.

The Book Of Life also doubles as a very welcome riot of imagination and tradition. Every frame of the film is beautifully and thoughtfully designed, down to the fact that Manolo seems to have been intricately crafted out of wood. Moreover, instead of shying away from its Mexican roots to increase its global marketability, the film firmly embraces them. This gives Gutierrez room to craft some delicately dark moments in a graveyard or two, reminding everyone that those who have died can still live as long as they're remembered by the ones who loved them. And yet, the film never descends into darkness, instead tapping into the giddying energy of a fiesta - most memorably in a journey through the Land of the Remembered - complete with heady bursts of colour and music.

There's no denying that Gutierrez's film can occasionally be too much to handle. It's loud and almost cheerfully silly, tossing pop songs and Mexican folklore into a mix that sometimes doesn't work. But, at its best, The Book Of Life is like a rambunctious puppy: messy, loud and insistent, but radiating so much life and charm that it becomes quite impossible to resist.

24 October 2014 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester This Morning - The Book of Life. An unusual animation from the stable of Jorge R Gutierrez. Joaquin, Maria and Manolo are best friends who are torn apart when Maria is sent to Europe to calm her wild ways. The two boys are both in love with her and when she returns, they compete for her affections unaware their lives are being controlled by the two Lords of the Underworlds, who have set a wager on the outcome of their love triangle. La Muerta is the mistress of the beautiful and vibrant Land of The Remembered, whilst Xibalba is the discontented ruler of the Land of The Forgotten. The characters were portrayed as wooden puppet style people, yet when they entered the Land of The Remembered they became exquisitely carved skeletons. The animation was amazing. Apart from all the characters in in three lands I found myself avidly watching the backgrounds. The colours were so vibrant and the details were so beautifully worked. This film was set around the Mexican Day of The Dead and the whole feel of it came across as one glorious fiesta. Another animation triumph and a spectacular musical score to match.

One of the best animated films of 2014 along with The Lego Movie and How to Train Your Dragon 2 and much better than the trailer suggested it to be. It's not perfect but it is very good not only as an animated film but as a film in general and it is great for children and adults alike. The best thing about The Book of Life is the animation, which is never less than outstanding and even spellbinding at its best, consisting of vivid warm colours, smooth imaginatively done background art and beautifully drawn character designs that look real. The brilliantly colourful and psychedelic imagery of Land of the Forgotten and the character designs of the two supernatural lead characters are particularly well done, the whole film is a stunner to look at and has so much depth and rich detail. The music is good and fits well, the score is robust and authentically orchestrated and the songs are a lot of fun- in the cinema you have difficulty resisting the temptation to sing along and tap your feet-, are catchy and of many moods. If there was any complaint about the soundtrack, it's that I wish there was more of a Mexican vibe to it. The script was sharp and funny, even managing to liven the darker elements a little without jarring or being over-reliant on postmodern gags, it has a good flow and is always easy to understand. The story isn't perfect but is a winner overall. does it have clichés? Of course it does. Does it handle them well? Yes. It does have its overstuffed and contrived spots but it's warm-hearted, entertaining from the get go right up to the last second and you always feel like you're being immersed in all these different worlds in the film, which aside from the animation was what was the most remarkable thing about The Book of Life. There's also some good, relevant messaging that makes its point but in a subtle way rather than preachy. The characters are engaging and most of the voice acting is great, especially from Christina Applegate, Zoe Saldana(both playing with endearing sass and spunk), Kate del Castillo and Ron Perlman. The only exceptions for me were Channing Tatum whose line delivery was awkward at times and Ice Cube who felt and sounded out of place, sounding like he was playing himself rather than the character he was voicing. All in all, hugely entertaining and visually wondrous, a very good film animated and otherwise and definitely recommended. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a beautiful animated film. Very unique in comparison to other animated films out there. I loved that it had funny parts - for adults as well as kids - but it isn't a silly comedy. It is a gorgeous, epic folkloric tale of family, tradition and finding your own way. I laughed and cried, and my kids loved it as much as I did. My kids (ages 3.5 and 5.5) both were entranced and never got bored or scared watching this film. For families: it wasn't scary at all. I worried maybe the "skeleton" painted Day of the Dead characters may be creepy but they weren't at all. The sets and characters were all very beautiful and unique. The Land of the Remembered was especially visually stunning. I found it especially touching as a parent of young kids with numerous generations in "our village" helping raise my kids and help carry each other through life's highs and lows. I was reminded by this film of the importance of all the generations that came before us - how we are shaped by our families. How we learn from and must respect those who came before us. That was a nice message for me and my kids. But, it also shows that, while we respect, learn from and inherit gifts from our fore-bearers, we also have a responsibility to be true to ourselves, to make our own way and find our true calling. It was also touchingly romantic. It felt very genuine and warm throughout but the sweet romantic story was especially touching. You could tell a lot of love went into making this film. I hope it does well - it should on its own merit!

First lets; clarify; I am not Mexican nor any in my family and friend group; however it has been a long long time since we catch kids movie able to captivate 5,6,7 or 8 year old girls and boy and the parents that took them. Just the quality, colors and artistry of the images; makes the movie worth; but the subject matter is even more impressive. How many times you were able to really laugh on a subject matter like death and make children (and adults) happy with an adventure that is pure entertainment but also gives a quite poetic look at life and dead. In brief; take your children to see it as an excuse; you probably will enjoy it even more. Forget PIXAR formula products; this is just a masterpiece